


What Might Have Been

by trullie_126



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Tragedy, Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart-centric, AruAni, Beaches, Childhood Trauma, Coming of Age, Death, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Family, Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Love, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, New Zealand, Nostalgia, Ocean, Pain, Romance, Sadness, School, early 2000s, good happy times, i wish i could live here, life commentaries, not too happy of an ending, other fun character cameos, raglan, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29669349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trullie_126/pseuds/trullie_126
Summary: Due to some unfortunate circumstances, 10-year-old Armin Arlert was forced to move in with his grandfather in the tiny beach town of Raglan, New Zealand, where he makes new friends but is unnerved by his cold little classmate, Annie Leonhart.  This is a story of family, friendship, and love, coming of age, contemplation and understanding of the nature of life, and ultimately, the cruelty and beauty of time past.This takes place in the early 2000s in New Zealand.  Though I have done extensive research to make the setting and atmosphere as accurate as possible, there may still be some inaccuracies, unintentional and intentional (for the purposes of the story), so just a heads up on that.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

The shifting cold air from moving trains bit at Armin’s face as he sat on the metal bench in the Auckland metro station, a duffle bag and guitar case beside his feet. A plethora of people rushed back and forth to their respective destinations, the busyness apparent in the cacophony of clacking shoes and voices. The white lights above him shone so brightly that if he looked at them directly, they would practically blind him. This wasn’t unfamiliar to the little child; he’d been in this metro station plenty of times with his parents when they were visiting his grandfather in Raglan. But this time was different. He was staying with his grandfather for good.

The tiny boy could still remember when the woman from his parents’ lab came to his house that night, a somber expression on her face. When he heard the news, it rendered his mind empty. He could remember staring up at the woman, shock etched all over him.

The social worker sitting beside Armin could feel the boy tense up, and he wrapped a protective arm around him. Armin leaned against the man and closed his eyes, trying to forget about everything. But how could you simply forget that the two most important people in your life weren’t there anymore? The negative emotions swirling inside him made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

When Armin opened his eyes again, he spotted a familiar round figure with a straw hat approach in the distance, and relief flooded him. He immediately hopped from his seat and dashed towards his grandfather, burying his face and letting loose all his tears into his stomach. He felt his grandpa’s warm hands pat his head, and he knew he was safe.

The social worker stood and came over to Armin’s grandpa with a polite smile, shaking his hand.

“Hello, Mr. Arlert. If you’ll just take care of a few things for me.” He dug out a pen and clipboard with pieces of paper on it from his bag and gave them to him. With a little nudge from the old man, Armin let go to give his grandpa space to write. Once his grandpa was finished filling them out, he addressed the social worker.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my grandson.”

“No, thank you. I’m very glad that you were able to take him in. Otherwise, he would’ve ended up in a foster home.”

“Well, I’m old, but I still have a few years left in this ancient body of mine.”

After an exchange of laughs, they bid their adieus and the social worker extended his condolences. Before he left, Armin hugged him, a little sad because he had gotten attached to the social worker over the past week. Because of him, Armin didn’t feel that lonely, and he helped him through many adversities. The social worker wished both the boy and his grandfather good luck before disappearing into the crowd.

The old man took his grandson outside into the freezing snowy atmosphere, and when they arrived at his fading red ute, they hopped in and drove off, Armin sitting in the front with his grandpa. The snow blurred past Armin’s vision as the truck sped onwards on the gravel street. He looked behind him to see the diminishing train station, glad to leave it behind and finally be reunited with his grandpa. Due to the lack of heat in the vehicle, Armin snuggled deeper into his fleece jacket and hugged his green scarf closer to him, hiding his nose and mouth behind it.

The road got skinnier and the cars less abundant as it signaled the driver’s arrival to a small town in the boondocks. The amount of snow also diminished until the climate outside was only chilly with light rain and the bright hues of the verdant vegetation were still conspicuous, characteristic of winters in beachside towns. Raglan was a quiet and humble backwater community, unlike the big cities like Auckland or Wellington, where Armin used to live, and at first Armin was worried because he was used to urban clamor. But when he looked up at his grandfather’s profile, his bushy gray eyebrows and beard, his face wrinkled from years of warm smiles, he took comfort in the presence of the one family member he had left, and he reminded himself that his grandfather was there for him.

☼✿☼

Armin recognized the street leading to his grandfather’s tiny house when they made a right turn just like all those other times when his grandfather would pick him and his parents up at the train station. They finally arrived at end of the street where his grandpa’s home was, and it was nice to feel the soft carpet beneath his feet again when he took off his shoes to enter the house. The looming grandfather clock still gave him the creeps, though.

When the moving truck arrived, Armin helped his grandfather unpack, which wasn’t hard to achieve because his parents didn’t keep a lot of stuff in their one-story house anyway. It did spruce up the small area of his grandfather’s unassuming little home, however, especially with the new pictures on the walls.

After the unpacking was completed, Armin plopped down on the leather couch and sat in silence while his grandfather was in the kitchen cooking dinner, listening to the raindrops plink on the roof. A grave sadness suddenly enveloped him, and he started crying again. He didn’t think there would still be tears left inside him after all the sobbing he did the night he was informed of his parents’ deaths and the subsequent week.

His grandfather heard the sniffles and clambered into the living room where Armin was and sat with him. He hugged the boy tight and let him bawl into his shirt. After Armin let the tears fall for a while, he calmed down and got quiet.

“Hey,” his grandpa said gently, patting the boy’s shoulder. “Can you play the guitar for me?”

Armin looked up at him and nodded slowly. He went to his new bedroom and retrieved the guitar from its case. The instrument was supposed to be played for music therapy, as suggested by the social worker. It helped Armin a little; he enjoyed learning to play the guitar, and it helped get his mind off of his parents.

As he sat down beside his grandpa again, he said, “I’m still terrible at it.”

“That’s okay. What song do you want to play?”

“ _Stand By Me_. It was the first song I learned.”

Armin’s fingers still felt a little unnatural on the guitar strings as he was still new to playing it, and soon, he and his grandpa both burst out laughing because he messed up the chords so badly. Then, at the _ding_ of the oven, the old man rushed into the kitchen to remove the mince pies. He and Armin had dinner at the wooden dining table, and the warmth of the meaty interior of the pie filled Armin with a cozy comfort as the rain storm grew more intense outside.

After Armin and his grandpa cleaned up and washed the dishes, Armin prepared for his first night in his new but familiar home. He recalled the nightmares he had from the previous week and requested to sleep with his grandpa, to which the old man happily agreed.

Armin crawled into the bed with his grandpa, clad in his favorite dinosaur pajamas. Together, they read _A Tale of Two Cities_ under the yellow light of the lamp on the nightstand. Reading helped to settle his mind, but even after they turned the lights out for the night, Armin still had trouble falling asleep. The impending start of Term 3 at his new school just made it worse. Only a few days remained before it started, but Armin could only imagine what he might face there. All the kids at Raglan Area School already knew each other from growing up in the same town together, but he was going to stick out like a sore thumb. What if there were bullies like at his old school? And what if people asked heaps of questions?

Soon, Armin drifted off to sleep, but he woke up in the middle of the night sweating and gasping. The visions from the nightmare already escaped his mind, and he tried to fall back asleep, but he couldn’t, so he just listened to the snores of his grandpa beside him and curled himself further into the quilt.

☼✿☼

The first day at the new school finally came, and Armin had butterflies in his stomach all through breakfast and on the way to school. Although his new school uniform was not much different from that of his old school, a light blue button-up shirt with a navy blue jersey, navy blue trousers, and black shoes, it still felt so strangely alien on him. As he got out of the red ute, his grandfather gave him some encouraging words before driving off to work, and they stuck with Armin for a little while but quickly disappeared and made way to shyness after he entered through the doors that suddenly seemed to swallow him whole.

He could feel people’s eyes on him and kept his head down, his heart pounding in his chest. He waited for someone to come up and make fun of him for his haircut or something, but fortunately for him nobody did, and he safely got to his homeroom where a bunch of kids his age were hanging around, sitting on desks and chatting jovially about what they did over their two week break. Making sure not to make eye contact with any of them and draw any attention to himself, Armin slinked to the corner and into a seat. He took out his book and disappeared into its world, which was fine with him because he didn’t plan on doing any talking that day.

The morning went as he planned. He kept himself discreet so nobody would approach him. The only person he substantially interacted with was his very kind homeroom teacher, Ms. Ral, but besides her, he attempted to conceal himself behind his book and notes, avoiding any form of contact with every person.

At lunch, he sat by himself at the corner of the lunch room with his back to everyone, munching on his sandwich as he continued with his book. Then, unexpectedly, someone tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to face the noisy turquoise-eyed kid from homeroom with the Asian girl behind him. An automatic fear that they had ulterior motives struck the anxious little boy, but he calmed slightly when he failed to detect anything malicious in their facial expressions.

“Hey new kid. Can I borrow a dollar for the vending machine? I promise I’ll repay you tomorrow.”

Armin nodded and perfunctorily fished for the money from his backpack, giving it to the boy.

“Thanks,” the boy said and went away with the girl at his heels. Armin was relieved that they finally went away and that he could return safely to his solitude. A minute later, however, the boy returned with a bottle of dark soda. He took a big swig and flopped onto the chair next to Armin, the girl copying his action, albeit more gingerly.

“What’s your name again?” He asked with nonchalance.

“Armin Arlert.”

“Cool! I’m Eren Jaeger,” the boy said as he shook Armin’s hand. Then he gestured to the dark-haired girl beside him with a proud grin. “This is my new sister, Mikasa Ackerman.”

“New?”

“Yeah. My parents adopted her a few weeks ago. She’s from Japan. Right, Mikasa?” The girl nodded timidly behind her thick red scarf.

Eren slapped his arms around Mikasa and Armin, evoking a surprised expression from the girl and an astonished yelp from the boy.

“Sweet as! Now I have two new friends!” Eren beamed with a wide toothy smile. The happiness radiating from the boy spread to Armin, and it filled him with hope. This boy was going to be Armin’s new friend, and the excitement caused a smile to grow on his face. He had a feeling the rest of the day wouldn’t be that bad.


	2. Chapter 2

Eren surely knew Raglan well, otherwise Armin wouldn’t have gotten used to finding his way around the school in a day, much less the town in a week. Over the past few days, Armin’s new friend was a very effective tour guide, and soon he knew every single classroom, hall, closet, water fountain, and the “forbidden-to-walk-into” rooms. Eren’s mother was a teacher for the kids in the lower grade levels at school, which gave Eren plenty of time over the years to explore the campus, and he also used to play hide and seek with his friends often.

Armin also enjoyed spending time with Eren and Mikasa in the small town, especially since Eren basically knew where everything and who everyone was. Armin was already acquainted with some of the places, but his favorite location soon became the library, his new discovery. It was only a one-story building and had a smaller selection of texts than he was used to seeing at other libraries, but he appreciated it nonetheless. The librarian, Ms. Brzenska, was informative and kind, and there were plenty of books about marine biology dwelling on the shelves.

While all the teachers that Armin had met so far were great people in general, Mr. Smith was hands down the best history teacher Armin has ever been a student of. His teaching methods were superb and while he was professional, he was passionate about the subject he taught, and Armin loved discussing history topics with him like a long-lost son. Ms. Zoe was bubbly and fun, and Armin never had so many enjoyable lab assignments in his life. The other teachers were amiable as well and helped Armin catch up with his classmates since he missed the first half of the school year. That meant a lot of homework for the first few weeks in Raglan, but he knew he would enjoy it.

After Eren saw Armin reading at lunch on his first day, he quickly picked up on his love for books and gave him the affectionate nickname of “egghead.” Most of his classmates began to call him that too, but not in a derogatory way. They all crowded around Armin, curious to see who the newcomer was, and they made an effort to make him feel welcome and comfortable. His new classmates were interesting, fun, and nice, which was a relief to Armin, and he made friends with them effortlessly through Eren. Armin could tell that they all knew each other well and harmonized pleasantly, and he liked that, especially since he previously attended a school that was much bigger than Raglan’s, and it contained some not very nice people. But here, he had a feeling he would bond with his small class easily.

Armin started to hang out with Eren’s friend group, and they became some of his closest friends, especially Marco and Jean, even though the latter and Eren would often get into a fight over something petty, like one of them poking a hole in the other’s eraser with a pencil, and Mikasa or Historia would have to give them words of wisdom. There were different friend groups in the class, but everyone got along generally well besides Floch when he was picking on Armin a little. Other than that, he was tolerable.

In the familial realm of his life, Armin’s grandfather adopted an orange kitten with shiny green eyes from the Kirschteins’ pet store adoption center a week after Armin moved in to cheer him up. The young boy was ecstatic when he saw his grandpa walking into the door one day holding the little thing, as his parents had never kept any pets. He instantly went over, stroking and marveling at the soft fur on its head. And when it gave him a tiny happy meow, Armin knew the cat would be one of his best friends for a very long time. He named the kitten Richard Parker after the tiger in his father’s favorite book, _Life of Pi_. Of course he didn’t know what it was about because it was too advanced of a read for him, but all he remembered when he asked his father what he was reading was that there was a tiger named Richard Parker. The new feline quickly integrated into Armin’s and his grandfather’s daily lives, bringing a touch of joy, and admittedly, orange fur, to their small household.

Armin never felt so happy in his life, even with his parents gone. He didn’t think he would regain this joy so quickly, but he was grateful for his grandfather, his teachers, and his new friends for helping him with it. Everything felt so perfect.

But there was a slight complication in the whole thing, and Armin noticed it almost immediately, since this complication was the only one who wasn’t surrounding him and trying to get to know him. This tiny mishap was Annie Leonhart. Armin found it troubling, since her demeanor was much more different from everyone else’s. He’s always seen her alone and silent with her head down, often pulling up the hood of the jacket she wore over her uniform, and her body language always kept people from messing with her.

Armin only thought it was shyness, so he asked Eren about it one day on the playground after lunch and wanted to make sure she was okay.

“Yeah, definitely,” Eren replied with nonchalance. “She’s just really serious and a little scary, that’s all. Don’t bother her and she won’t bother you. That sort of deal. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

It was probably just an exaggeration. After all, Eren was that type of person who tended to make everything a hyperbole. But still, Armin was curious to see why Eren would come to such a conclusion.

Reiner invited the two boys to play football with him and some other classmates, and the group kicked the ball around to each other. It was fun, although Armin’s lack of athletic ability was noticeable the first moment he joined the game. While the other boys were iron-skinned and immune to the frigid air, he shivered even with his coat on. He had never been a strong kid. When Armin went over to Eren and Mikasa’s house for the first time and met their father, Dr. Jaeger, for the first time, the concerned man told him to eat up and exercise more because he was underweight _and_ under-height. And while Armin’s friends teased him for his clumsiness, Floch, of course, derided him the most. But he didn’t really care. He was having fun with his new friends.

☼✿☼

Armin found himself distracted in history class after the talk with Eren at the playground, even when Mr. Smith was engaging the class in one of his favorite topics. His gaze was directed to a particular blonde girl who was resting her chin on her hand while taking notes. He felt a genuine curiosity about Annie. Why was she so closed off when everyone else was outgoing and quirky? She stuck out like a sore thumb, especially with her aura that emanated some sort of negative attitude.

Annie’s bangs covered most of her face, so from Armin’s angle, he couldn’t see her face at all, until she noticed he was looking at her. She turned to face him and they locked eyes for a split second before she sent a chilling glare at him through her icy blue eye. The look was so cold that he could’ve froze. He immediately averted his eyes and shuddered. Nudging Eren who was sitting next to him, he whispered, “I know what you mean.”

☼✿☼

As Annie walked through the town, she took a breath from her inhaler and stared at the few surfers out on the ocean. The water wasn’t as sparkly as it usually was when the bright sun popped out, as the winter sky seemed asleep today. Annie stuffed her hands in the pockets of her oversized ski jacket and watched her exhales turn into foggy puffs. Even in this wintry cold, some people had the guts to still be out there on the ocean, riding the waves. It looked so fun, sliding through the tunnel created by a gigantic wave curling in on itself. Annie could imagine her hair flying back, the water droplets landing on her skin, and the breathless feeling of it all.

But unfortunately, it would never become a reality, Annie reminded herself. Her dad would never let her learn to surf, and for a good reason too. What if she got an asthma attack while out there in the ocean? Then she wouldn’t be able to help herself and drown.

Annie finally arrived at Hannes’ donut shop on one side of the town plaza. When she entered and removed her hood, the tall man behind the counter called out, “Hey, Annie! How’s it going?”

“Eh. Same as always. What about you?” Annie said and placed her coins on the counter.

“Sweating like a pig making all these donuts. But it’s a lot better than being out there, right?”

“Not really. I like the cold,” Annie said as Hannes handed her the warm donut that she always ordered. She took a bite, and immediately the delicious creamy texture of the whipped cream in the moist powdered bun warmed her right up. Annie sat at one of the wooden tables and rested her navy green bookbag on the shoulder of the chair.

“Did you know that there’s a new kid at school named Armin?” Annie asked Mr. Hannes out of curiosity. Maybe he would know something about him. After all, Mr. Hannes was friends with everyone in Raglan.

“Yeah, Armin moved in with old man Arlert around three weeks ago,” the man answered. “He’s his grandson.”

“I thought so.” Annie knew Mr. Arlert from him being in town a lot and mainly from him helping her reach something on the top shelf at the market once, but she never knew he had grandchildren or even children. He always seemed… alone. But at least he had some company with his grandson living with him now.

That Armin kid… she wondered about him. She thought he was a scrawny girl at first glance, with his cherubim face and big blue eyes, but soon found out he was indeed a male, despite his high-pitched voice and short stature. Annie regarded him as a typical bookish boy who was so naïve about the world. Besides, his coconut hair was the color of Chicken McNuggets, and you never knew what was in those.

But the thing was, he made friends so easily, especially from hanging around blabbering Jaeger and his group. The entire class was abuzz the whole week about Armin and how smart he was, how nice he was, stuff like that. Especially the fact that he could play the guitar. All the girls went freakish over that. But the main thing that caught her attention was when she heard Eren talking with his brother Zeke from the upper classes about how Armin moved to Raglan to be with his grandfather after his parents died. She couldn’t help but feel terrible for him. He must’ve been so lonely. And yet, he always maintained a cheerful countenance. Maybe he was he putting on a mask?

Annie thought about it all through finishing the donut and being halfway through her homework assignments. What if Armin was like her? Would he want to be her friend? But Annie pushed away those thoughts. He would never want to be her friend. Not after she glared at him like that. After seeing his reaction, she felt a swell of remorse. He looked so scared she thought he was going to piddle his pants. Plus, Armin had all those other people. He was so friendly, unlike her, and it made her a little jealous.

When Mr. Hannes closed the donut shop for the day, Annie made her way home under the fading sky. Soon she left the plaza behind her and walked on the path where she could see the ocean below her. Hopefully her mother had sent a letter already. It’s been two weeks now.

Annie stopped at the mailbox at the bottom of the hill and opened it, spotting an assortment of letters and taking them out. When she got home, she sorted through the collection and saw the letter addressed to her from her mother, exhilaration filled her. After grabbing it, she ran out of the house and down the hill where the humungous tree grew from the middle. She sat herself on the tire swing she and her father assembled together when she was little. The cold wind from the ocean below ruffled her hair as she ripped open the letter, eager to read the contents.

_Dear Annie,_

_I hope you’re doing well! I’m really sorry, but this letter is going to be a little short because I’m starting to get even more busy with my new fashion line and Carlos’s new business that he’s trying to open up. But to make up for it, I’m going to tell you some exciting news: you’re going to have a new sibling!_

Annie’s eyes popped out at the last part. Her mum was pregnant! She didn’t really know how to feel about it. Usually it was excitement that filled Annie upon receiving something from her mother in the mail, but this time it just made her gloomy despite the cheerful words, and she felt like crap. Though she loved her mother dearly and missed her every day, she still harbored some bitter feelings towards her mother and didn’t know if they would ever go away. Annie didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the letter, as her mind was solely focused on the thought of having a brother or sister. Of course she was happy that there was going to be another member in her family. But she wasn’t completely happy. The new baby would only be her half-sibling.

After Annie finished reading the letter, she slowly trekked back up the hill, into her house, and into her room. After flipping the light switch on to bathe the room in a dull yellow light, she slid the envelope containing the letter into the box where she kept all the other letters from her mom and took out a piece of notebook paper from her drawer. After pondering for a while over everything that had happened in her life recently, she began to write.


	3. Chapter 3

Armin passed through the elegant black gate and went up the steps to the stylish house after his grandpa drove away. Using his free hand, as the other hand was occupied with a plastic pumpkin basket, he knocked on the door, and almost immediately the door was opened by no other than his best friend.

“ARMIN!” Eren yelled as he pulled the boy into a tight hug, eliciting a laugh from him. Eren greeted Armin’s grandpa and Armin waved goodbye to him before Eren dragged him into the house. “A cat onesie?” Eren teased as he looked Armin’s costume up and down.

“What? I like cats,” Armin replied. “Besides, you look no better in that Spiderman onesie.”

Eren huffed with pride as he puffed out his chest, making Armin laugh again. They entered the living room where Mikasa waited for them.

“Hi, Armin,” Mikasa said as she stood up and walked over to the two boys.

“What are you dressed up as?” Armin asked, patting the fat red bow on her head.

“Kiki from _Kiki’s Delivery Service_ ,” Mikasa said with a big smile as she hugged her broomstick close to her. Mikasa usually didn’t show enthusiasm, but when it came to her favorite movies, anyone could tell with her obtrusive grin and the light bouncing of her feet.

Then, a middle-aged woman with a face similar to Eren’s and long dark hair tied in loose ponytail entered the living room, wiping off her apron and smiling at the children.

“Hey kids!” she exclaimed. She went over to Armin and hugged him. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m doing well, Mrs. Jaeger,” Armin replied as he hugged her back. Eren snickered at his friend’s use of formality and Mikasa nudged his rib with her broomstick.

“Are you all ready to go?” Mrs. Jaeger asked.

“Yeah!” the children said in unison. And with that, the four left the house to go the Halloween party in the town square.

☼✿☼

After Armin waved goodbye to the Jaegers one last time from the end of the sidewalk, he entered his grandpa’s ute and plopped down onto the seat, his stomach weighing his body down with all the candy and fish and chips he ate that night.

“So how was your first Halloween in Raglan?” his grandpa asked as they drove home.

“It was amazing!” Armin immediately piped up, his eyes glowing with exhilaration. “We got candy for all the games we won. I mainly stuck to cornhole with Bertholdt and Mina since I got a lot of candy that way. Eventually Eren and Mikasa tried to persuade me to go with them to play paintball, but I knew I’d be the first to get out, so I just watched them. Eren and Mikasa’s team crushed all the other teams, but it was Reiner who helped them win. He’s super fast! And he got so much candy for the entire team.

“Oh, and let me tell you about the costume contest. Historia won, obviously. I mean, nothing could beat her insanely elaborate gothic princess getup. Jean was so mad, though. He was so proud of his Stormtrooper costume. And the fish and chips were so good! I think I ate two plates of them.”

Armin’s grandpa chuckled at the long and elated speech, and he gave the boy’s head a gentle pat. “It seems that you’re really fitting in here. I’m glad.”

“Mm-hm.” Armin sighed in content, listening to the hum of the engine. He’d never been this happy after his parents died. Though he still desperately missed them and thought of them every day, he knew it would console them that their son was faring well without their guidance. Armin closed his eyes and waited for sleep to carry him off into unconsciousness.

☼✿☼

Annie forced the hood over her head and slammed her face on her arms. It was only the second day since the new Lizzie McGuire movie came out on Disney Channel, and all the girls were already singing the song. The only thing her ears picked up was, “THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF!!!” all morning, and she was sick of it. There was nothing she could do to block out the singing except sit at the table in the furthest corner at lunch, acrimoniously dreaming of the day when she entered high school and she had the freedom to find a place on campus where she wanted to eat her lunch other than the lunchroom where there was always noise and people, the two things she wanted to avoid most in life.

Then, she heard the strums of an instrument and turned her head, realizing that the dumb Arlert kid was playing the guitar to accompany the girls. Annie watched as they praised him for his musical prowess and he shyly thanked them. She grumbled and shifted her head back to stare at the wall as she resisted the urge to punch someone in the face.

Annie’s vexation only increased when she heard footsteps and the humming of the melody of the terrible song approaching her. She whipped her head around and said, “Shut up!”

Hitch leaned back a little to feign hurt feelings, then said, “Damn, what got under _your_ skin?” She placed her tray of food down and took her seat next to the fuming girl.

“Everyone. Especially bloody Lizzie McGuire.”

“What?! But it’s such a good movie!”

“It’s bull,” Annie muttered and rested her cheek on her palm.

“Man, you’re no fun! It’s like you’re always on your period or something. If you keep this up you’re never going to have any friends,” Hitch commented before taking a big, ungraceful bite out of her food.

Annie averted her eyes. It was true. The way she was just wasn’t compatible with the cheerful personas of her classmates, and how difficult it was for her to make friends since day one. She didn’t feel like anyone would understand her. All she wanted was someone trustworthy to confide in, but trust didn’t come easy to her. Of course it was a blessing as well as a curse. Still, Annie couldn’t help but long for a friend when she saw heaps of kids hanging around in the classroom, lunchroom, and playground. The closest things she had to friends were Reiner and Bertholdt, and she only considered them because they walked home together on her dad’s request to make sure she was safe. Reiner and Bertholdt always excluded her from their conversations anyway, and she always trailed behind them. And she could probably consider Hitch, but that was only because Hitch was a social butterfly without a care in the world who talked to anyone who seemed interesting and moved on to the next person once their interestingness waned.

Annie took a sip from her water bottle and continued to endure the high-pitched voices screaming the lyrics of the Lizzie McGuire song, wishing more than anything to go home to her deathly quiet house.

☼✿☼

The end of Term 4 was nearing, and that meant the class field trip at the beginning of summer break was nearing too. Armin was ecstatic for it and was already counting down on his calendar. It’s been almost a year and a half since Armin moved to the western coast of the North Island, but he still hasn’t visited Taupo yet, the place where the excursion would take place. According to Mr. Berner, they would go fishing, hiking, canoeing, and many other outdoor activities. Armin was so excited for it that he couldn’t stop thinking about it even during final exams.

Finally, the first day of the trip arrived, and Armin’s grandpa drove him to the school where the school bus waited. When the class arrived at the lodgings, Armin chose to share a room with Eren and Marco, and he really looked forward to having heaps of fun with his friends for several days. He remembered the time when he was nine and he went on a class camping trip similar the one he was on currently. He had cried because it was the first night he had spent away from his family, his only comfort at the time. But now, he had friends, so it wouldn’t be any problem.

Right after they unpacked and settled down a little, Mr. Berner took the class fishing at the lake. Even though Armin only ended up catching one fish during the entire two hours they were there, he enjoyed it, not only because a frustrated Eren amused him, but also because fishing appealed to him. Everyone had to measure the fish they caught and record the data in their science journal, which was the summer assignment. Jean was surprisingly good at the subtle art, and he even managed to catch a gigantic rainbow trout. The boys pleaded with Mr. Berner to cook it for dinner over a big epic bonfire, but were turned down, much to their chagrin.

The next day, a light rain started in the early morning, and Mr. Berner would’ve cancelled their outdoor activities for that day if all the kids hadn’t entreated him so zealously. Finally, he agreed, and the excitement grew when he waived the assignment in the book that corresponded to the activity so that the pages wouldn’t get wet. Even though Mr. Berner required everyone to wear a rain jacket, Armin went the extra mile and pulled out a pair of clunky black rainboots from his suitcase. His friends teased him for it, but Armin knew they were just jealous because he was so prepared.

For canoeing, Armin was glad that he could be grouped with Eren and Mikasa, until Mr. Berner came up to him and said that Annie didn’t have anyone to be with, so he put her with the three of them. Armin broke out in a sweat but nevertheless complied.

He was nervous at first, especially since he was stuck in the back with Annie right in front of him, so Eren and Mikasa wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on him since they were in the front. His anxiety didn’t vanish as he perceived her subdued nature. She didn’t talk the entire time but didn’t seem to mind when she was in between Armin, Eren, and Mikasa’s conversation. However, he was still quite uneasy.

With Mr. Berner’s canoe at the lead, the group of children finally arrived in front of the rock carvings in Mine Bay, the spotlight of which was on the giant face on the stony surface. After the kids marveled at the spectacle for a while, they made their way back. Though Armin’s sore arms were about to fall off from exhaustion, he didn’t want to leave all the rowing to the three in front of him. He peeked past Annie’s head to Eren and Mikasa to make sure they were okay, and it seemed that he didn’t have anything to worry about. Mikasa contributed the most power to their little canoe, and Eren made dramatic sweeping motions while paddling and making noises of effort, which Armin speculated was mainly to impress the silent blonde seated between them.

Finally, they reached the shore. Mr. Berner gave the class instructions to exit the canoe and put their life jackets in the designated shack after setting the boats neatly on the sand. Mikasa and Eren exited first, and Annie was about to step over the edge when Mikasa tugged the canoe forward too hard, causing Annie to fall backward on none other than the astounded Armin. They both yelped in surprise and Armin felt his cheeks flush and his heart beat faster as Eren and other kids who witnessed the event laughed their arses off. He’s never had a girl this close to him before, much less the girl whom the entire class was afraid of. The weight of Annie’s body was practically sinking into him, and he couldn’t and wouldn’t move a muscle.

“What the bloody hell, Mikasa?” Annie yelled. Armin’s heart skipped a beat in fear at Annie’s outburst, and he made a mental note reminding himself to never get on the little blonde’s bad side. The frightened boy could tell Mikasa hid a smile under her red scarf, and unfortunately, so did Annie.

“I’m sorry,” Armin sputtered, although he didn’t know what for.

Annie looked up at Armin and said, “Huh?” 

Due to the proximity of their faces, Armin’s tongue tied itself up into knots, and all he managed to say was a few unintelligible words.

Annie turned her face forward and set a cold stare on Mikasa. She growled, pushed Armin down, and scrambled out of the boat. Once Annie set her feet on the land, she glared at Mikasa who returned the look with her dark narrow eyes.

Armin gulped as he slowly made his way out of the canoe; they seemed like they were about to fight with all the tension they omitted. Their other classmates turned their attention to the two as well, waiting with excitement and fear to see what would happen.

“Fight, fight, fight,” Connie chanted as he pumped his fists up and down. Both the girls shot him an angry look, and he immediately shut up.

The mood eventually lightened up when the Galliard brothers, Porco and Marcel, picked up a screaming and kicking Connie and swung him into the lake. Most of the kids nearly died of laughter, especially Sasha, who was rolling on the dirt snorting and crying.

The rest of the trip Armin loved. Mr. Berner took the class to visit Huka Falls and the geothermal parks, with various tiki tours scattered throughout the week. But whatever they did, Armin made sure to avoid Annie at all costs. He didn’t know how mad she was at him after the canoe incident, and he definitely wasn’t planning on finding out. That girl was going to freeze him to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part was inspired by my own camping trip in 5th grade when my classmate pulled the canoe before I got out of it and I fell backwards on someone's dad LOL. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed! *wave


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy <3

Annie’s dad came home to check on his sick daughter during lunch, but after he left for his second job, the background noise of the TV and the low buzz of the heater were the only things giving life to the small house. Annie snuggled into her blankets as she lay on the couch and read her mother’s letter that was way overdue almost two years. Her mum apologized for the lack of writing due to taking care of the baby and juggling work at her fashion company at the same time, but Annie couldn’t stay annoyed at her after reading what she wrote. Annie loved to read about her baby sister Rose and see all the cute pictures of her. The tiny girl had pale blonde hair like Annie and their mother and dark eyes from her father. But it made Annie sad to think about how she couldn’t visit them.

Annie took a sip of ginger tea from her favorite mug that had unicorn prints on it. Soon, having nothing to do and enduring the dullness of the day caught up to Annie and her eyelids started to close. Then, a knock at the door startled her awake. Keeping her blanket huddled close around her shoulders, she slid out of the couch and walked to the front of the house, wondering who would bother to be out in the freezing weather at this time.

When she opened the door, she stared in surprise at her blond coconut classmate shivering at the foot of the entrance. This winter was one of Raglan’s coldest yet, cold enough to produce a raging snowfall, and all the residents made sure to stay indoors, or at least get inside a building as soon as possible where there was a heater, but apparently Armin didn’t get the memo. The unfortunate boy’s cheeks were red from the wind and snow slapping at them and his teeth chattered, a folder clutched to his chest.

“Hi, A-Annie,” he said with a shaky voice.

“Well, are you coming inside or do you want to freeze your ass off?”

“Oh.” When Annie saw that the boy moved too slow for her taste, she sighed and dragged him in by the collar of his coat. Once she forced the door to close against the wind, she turned to face him. She could tell he was relieved from the cold but felt awkward from being in her house.

“Are those the notes?” Annie asked as she pointed to the folder Armin held.

“Yes.”

“Why did you choose to bring them today?”

“Because you’ve already been out for a week, and I just thought that while you were recovering it’d be convenient to give you the notes now so that catching up won’t be as hard.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Sure…”

Annie noticed that they both still stood with an awkward silence, she said, “Do you want tea?”

Armin seemed a little shocked at her offer, but nevertheless he said, “Sure.”

Annie was about to move when he added, “Just show me where. You don’t have to do it for me.”

Annie nodded and pointed to where the kitchen was, telling him which cabinet the mugs were in. As she returned to her position on the couch, the thought suddenly came to her that _Armin_ was in _her_ house. And just the two of them. But Armin didn’t seem like the type of kid who would try anything, even though the whole class was going through puberty and experiencing raging hormones. On a side note, Annie thought it was hilarious that Armin seemed exactly the same from when he first moved to Raglan; same short stature, same baby face, same dopey bowl-cut, same high-pitched voice.

However, Annie liked a few things about him. He wasn’t immature like the other boys in that he was polite and genuinely kind. Eren always had to pick a fight when something didn’t go his way. Jean never admitted that he was wrong and Bertholdt never pitched in his two cents with confidence. The only thing that interested Reiner at the moment was how big his muscles were and Connie was… well, Connie. And then there was Armin. He wasn’t afraid to be himself, even if he did come off as nerdy and weak. But that was the thing. He wasn’t tough physically, but Annie could tell he was strong mentally and academically. She appreciated that, because she knew there weren’t many boys like him out there. He still had the decency to treat her kindly, even if he didn’t exactly like her.

Armin entered the living room with his steaming mug of tea and took a seat beside her. Of course, he made sure to leave a generous gap between them to not make the situation more uncomfortable. When Annie suggested that he should probably sit on the other couch to avoid her germs, he simply said, “Okay,” and did as she said.

“Um, Annie,” he started. “Are you sick because of your asthma attack?”

“I think so,” she said.

After a pause, Armin spoke up. “I saw you coughing really hard on the playground the other day. I got really freaked out.” He let out a nervous laugh.

“So you’re the one who got Ms. Ral to help me?” Annie asked in slight surprise.

Armin nodded with a shy smile.

Annie looked down and muttered almost inaudibly, “Thanks.”

“No worries.”

Annie would’ve given a more outright expression of gratitude if she didn’t feel so uneasy with him in her house. She recalled being so scared that day the asthma attack came and thinking that she was going to die. Annie had been sitting on the monkey bars when suddenly she felt her chest constrict and she started wheezing and coughing and gasping for air. Somehow, she managed to get off the monkey bars and then Ms. Ral came to her rescue. Annie didn’t remember much after that, other than being rushed to the emergency room and her dad scolding her for being careless. And then she got sick, and here she was. Armin really did save her life.

After Armin finished his drink, he stood. “I guess I should get going now.”

Annie nodded and put both their mugs in the sink. She walked with him to the door, a little sad that she was about to lose her only company other than her dad who was off at work.

After Armin wished her good health and left, rather quickly too, Annie shuffled back to the couch and found herself in the same situation she was before Armin arrived: in a silent house with nothing to do. She spotted Armin’s folder on the table. _Might as well look inside_ , she thought.

Though she was secretly impressed when she saw Armin’s orderly penmanship on the neatly stapled packets of paper, she would never admit it. The title for each set was highlighted in a different color and the colorful notes were in outline format with a few charts or diagrams here and there. Annie knew she made the right decision to ask the best student in class for his notes while she was sick with pneumonia.

Annie stuffed the notes and homework assignments back in the folder when she realized that they weren’t going down all the way. She turned the folder upside down, shaking it, and an index card slipped out onto the table. Annie grabbed the tiny object and unfolded it, fighting a smile as she saw what it read.

_I hope the notes are helpful. Get well soon! :D – Armin_

☼✿☼

Armin gasped for air in the gargantuan gym as he tried to catch up with the rest of his team in the basketball game, sweat streaming down his flushed face. By far, P.E. was the only class he despised. He always degraded himself for not having the kind of strength that Eren, Reiner, or the other boys had. Even Connie, who was the same size as him, had as much energy as a dolphin, and he never seemed to be depleted of any of it. Armin, on the other hand, usually burned out in less than five minutes when it came to matters athletic.

As the timer on the scoreboard buzzed, Armin trudged to the bleachers and grabbed his water bottle, chugging down the delicious cool water to satisfy his burning throat. The next team, which included Eren and Mikasa, played next, and Armin watched them maneuver skillfully around the court with envy. How were they so skilled at something like this?

Armin turned his head and noticed Annie seated at the top corner of the bleachers, reading a book. He immediately regretted his feelings as he remembered that Annie couldn’t partake in anything that involved rigorous physical activity and had to do a special fitness regimen suited for her condition independently. Even though she could freak people out at times, especially him, Armin couldn’t help but sympathize with her. He also remembered when he brought her copies of his class notes when she was sick a few months ago. He usually never enhanced his notes with that much color, but since he thought about Annie stuck in her bed for a week, he decided that at least adorning his notes would take away some of the dullness from Annie’s life.

Jean collapsed next to Armin and rested his elbows on his knees. “You going to Historia’s birthday party?”

“It’s going to be on her parents’ island, right?” Armin clarified.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I can’t because I’m helping Mrs. Brzenska in the library that day.”

“Egghead!”

Armin chuckled apologetically at his friend, then turned a little melancholy. He loved all his friends to death, and he appreciated they accepted him for who he was, but he felt that when he tried to tell them something from deep within his heart that he had the courage to reveal, they didn’t fully understand, though it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Namely, memories of his past and his parents would pop up in his mind, and the technicolor world around him would return to its dull hues like the night Armin found out his parents died. When Armin tried to explain that his endearment with the ocean didn’t include swimming because of a personal reason, they wouldn’t get it either. Eren may be his best friend, but he wasn’t the best listener in the world. Mikasa might be able to converse with Armin better if she weren’t so dependent on Eren that Armin felt that some of her opinions were basically what her beloved adoptive brother indoctrinated her with. As for the rest of his friend group, they were still childish at thirteen years old.

Armin’s gaze found its way to Annie again. Her eyebrows were furrowed into a curious expression on her face as she focused on something in her book. Armin wondered what the book was. But more than that, he was interested in her facial expression, which wasn’t the “Everyone-in-this-room-is-a-piece-of-shit-and-can-I-go-home-now” poker face she usually wore. Although Armin knew that everyone had different sides to them, Annie had always confused Armin; one moment she could be sitting in the corner of her classroom with her hood over her head and her back turned towards the chalkboard, doodling or writing, and the next moment she could be gently swinging on the playground, staring at the trees next to the school. He wondered what she was thinking. Three years of being classmates and Annie was still the biggest enigma in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Armin and Annie are teenagers now, yay!... We'll see what they do as they continue to grow up. I'll have the next chapter up probably next week, and that's being hopeful. But anyway, have a great day.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all, this is my first AOT/SNK and Aruani fanfic. I don't know when I'll continue writing this because I'm busy with school, but hopefully by next week I'll be able to keep going. I'm planning to finish the fic long before I publish the final chapters, and at the latest I'll probably end this fic by the time summer comes to a close. Thank you so much for reading and have a great day lovelies :D


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